1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water-in-oil emulsion and its use in the cosmetics, dermatological, veterinary and/or agrifood fields, particularly in the form of a white or colored cream to care for, make up, remove make-up from, and/or provide antisun protection to human skin and/or mucous membranes, as well as to prepare a cream for the treatment of skin diseases and/or mucous membrane diseases.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the cosmetics field, it is common to use creams consisting of a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion containing an aqueous phase dispersed in a liquid fatty phase (generally referred to as the oily phase). These emulsions contain an oily continuous phase and thus allow a lipid film to be formed on the surface of the skin to prevent transepidermal water loss and protect the skin against external attack. The emulsions are particularly suitable for protecting and nourishing the skin, and in particular for treating dry skin.
These emulsions frequently have stability problems, making them difficult to manufacture. Various means have been proposed to overcome this drawback. One known means consists of incorporating into the emulsion a large amount of emulsifying surfactant, which can be up to 10% by weight relative to the total weight of the emulsion. However, it is known that emulsifiers used in large amounts can be irritating towards certain types of skin. Moreover, the creams obtained are often compact and heavy. In addition, the surfactants need to be chosen as a function of the polarity of the oils and are thus only compatible with a limited number of oils, limiting the variety of the formulations.